TRA surpasses tax collection targets

DAR ES SALAAM: THE Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) has collected a total of 9.8tri/- in the second quarter of the 2025/2026 fiscal year, with voluntary tax compliance playing a significant role in supporting the overall collections.

The total money collected is 101.45 per cent of the target, which was set at 9.6tri/-.

In December alone, TRA collected 4.13tri/-, exceeding the monthly target of 4.014tri/-, achieving an efficiency level of 102.9 per cent.

Speaking in Dar es Salaam yesterday during a press conference, TRA Commissioner General, Mr Yusuph Mwenda, said the December collections marks the first time in Tanzania’s history that amount has been collected in a single month.

He said that in December 2024, TRA collected approximately 3.15tri/, showing that the authority performed significantly better this year.

Highlighting the authority’s performance in the second quarter, Mr Mwenda said that 2025 was generally a good year, despite some challenges experienced during the second quarter, particularly in October, November and December, a period that coincided with the General Election and its aftermath.

He said that these challenges did not significantly affect revenue collection performance, as the overall results for the quarter remained positive.

“In the second quarter, which ended on 31 December 2025, we assessed ourselves using several indicators, including voluntary tax compliance, timely submission of returns and timely tax payment. However, the key indicator is the amount of revenue collected,” he said.

Mr Mwenda attributed the achievements to the cooperation of taxpayers nationwide, who increasingly embraced voluntary tax compliance.

The TRA boss also attributed the strong performance to the leadership of President Samia Suluhu Hassan, saying she has laid a solid foundation for a resilient economy, capable of withstanding shocks such as those experienced around October 29.

“As you are aware, during October, November and December 2025, the confidence of taxpayers, investors and consumers declined to some extent. However, due to the strength of the economy, revenue collection did not fall below planned levels. In December, business activity began to improve, resulting in a record-breaking performance,” Mr Mwenda said.

He added, “These results are a product of sound economic policies and strong tax systems that have been built to withstand various economic shocks while still delivering such achievements.”

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Mr Mwenda stressed that the performance is a clear confirmation that Tanzania can finance its development using internal revenue sources, through cooperation with citizens, taxpayers, public servants and all stakeholders.

He assured taxpayers that TRA will continue to listen to them, work closely with them, and support their businesses.

Looking ahead, Mr Mwenda said TRA plans to further expand the tax base, strengthen enforcement of tax laws to reduce the tax gap, combat tax evasion and tax avoidance, while continuing to improve service delivery and uphold ethics, fairness and equity among staff.

He also announced that early this year, TRA will roll out a new domestic tax system dubbed the Integrated Domestic Revenue Administration System (IDRAS).

The system is expected to become operational within January and aims to reduce inconvenience to taxpayers by enabling most services to be accessed online.It will also address complaints related to tax assessments by improving the quality of data and tax evaluations, according to him.

“This system will be integrated with various other systems, help us understand taxpayers more accurately, and digitally record tax decisions. This will enhance transparency and fairness in tax administration,” he said.